Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episode 4, "73 Yards."

Summary

• Doctor Who continues the trend of introducing political villains, with the new Prime Minister adding a dark twist to the series.
• Roger ap Gwilliam stands out as a realistic and ominous villain, mirroring modern right-wing politics with his nuclear ambitions.
• The new character adds a more believable and unsettling dimension to the already intriguing catalog of Doctor Who villains.

Doctor Who's Disney era, it seems as though Davies isn't done with the trope just yet.

The Doctor Who season 14 cast introduces a new villain in episode 4, "73 Yards." The figure's mysterious backstory can easily distract from the position he holds as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. There's clearly more than meets the eye when it comes to the Welsh politician, but his place in Davies' catalog of villains is especially intriguing, and it suggests the showrunner has a strong point of view about certain figures in positions of power.

RTD's Streak Of Evil Doctor Who Prime Ministers Continues In Season 14

Roger ap Gwilliam is the latest addition to a specific group of Doctor Who villains

Aneurin Barnard plays Roger ap Gwilliam in Doctor Who season 14, episode 4, "74 Yards," with the aspiring Prime Minister eventually earning the title and briefly leading the country before Ruby's old woman ploy forces his resignation. New viewers won't be aware of Davies' previous problematic Prime Ministers, but Gwilliam is actually the fourth that the showrunner has written into the Doctor Who canon. The first came during Christopher Eccleston's lone season as the Ninth Doctor, with a member of the Slitheen race masquerading as the country's Acting Prime Minister in Doctor Who season 1, episode 4, "Aliens of London."

While not inherently evil, Jones used her power as Prime Minister to have a retreating Sycorax ship destroyed in the 2005 special, "The Christmas Invasion," angering David Tennant's Tenth Doctor.

The next was Penelope Wilton's Harriet Jones. While not inherently evil, Jones used her power as Prime Minister to have a retreating Sycorax ship destroyed in the 2005 special, "The Christmas Invasion," angering David Tennant's Tenth Doctor. Perhaps the most well-known evil Prime Minister in the Doctor Who universe is "Harold Saxon," who later turned out to be the Master. John Simm's villainous Time Lord took over the planet from his position of power, but Roger ap Gwilliam seems to have had even more destructive motives in mind - as suggested by his dark desire to fire a nuclear missile.

Roger ap Gwilliam Is Doctor Who's Most "Real" Politician Villain Yet

Gwilliam's policies could exist in the real world

The previous three nefarious Prime Ministers created by Russell T Davies were almost cartoonish in their villainous acts. While the Slitheen did have incredibly evil plans in mind, their penchant for flatulence somewhat undercut their gravitas. Harriet Jones and the Master also made use of sci-fi technology that made it clear that their on-screen antics were solidly planted in the world of fiction. Roger ap Gwilliam isn't given that degree of separation from reality.

Gwilliam's stance of defending the UK's borders and setting the country "up on high as one of the greatest nations in the world" is ominously reflective of modern-day right-wing politics. What's more, he tends to achieve his goal with nuclear weapons, which aren't the fantastical devices used by Davies' previous evil Prime Ministers. As a result, Gwilliam comes across as a much more believable Doctor Who villain.